


Breaking Point

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 15:49:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7112314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex goes to a bar to drown her sorrows and bumps into a familiar face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking Point

Alex wished that Sabine had never shown up. Then she wouldn’t have been drawn to this place. She wouldn’t have been drawn into this mess at all if not for the strange compulsion that drew the Generals and Soulriders together. Alex strongly suspected that Fripp was to blame for that compulsion, and Linda agreed with her. She hated it. But it worked both ways, too- Linda had been working here for a long time before Sabine had shown up.

And then Linda had disappeared, just there one day and then gone the next. To be fair, Alex had been busy frantically researching a way into Pandoria that day. Meteor had disappeared similarly days before that. Linda had been different with Meteor gone, like she was less of herself. So Alex had made the awful decision to send Tin Can away to Horse Island. At least she knew where he was, and she could bring him back at a moment’s notice.

But now Alex was all alone. Completely alone. Sabine had succeeded, and the dark side had won. There was no way to get out to the oil rig, at least not any safe way. They’d wanted to break the Soulriders apart, and they’d succeeded. Although it had been easy, with two of them voluntarily leaving. Lisa had wanted to pursue dreams of fame, and so had… so had Anne. And they’d both suffered for it.

Alex didn’t blame them for going after their dreams. If she had the chance, she’d go after her dreams too. Sure they were only simple and humble ones, but that was just the kind of girl she was. Apparently she couldn’t even have that.

“Why do they have to take everything from me?” Alex asked, fisting her hands around the reins. “Do they want to wear me down and make me feel hopeless? Because they won’t. They can’t. I’m the warrior, and I can do this, right Tin Can?”

The horse didn’t answer her. Because the horse wasn’t Tin Can.

It really set in then, just how alone Alex was, and for the first time in days she felt the sting of tears and the lump in her throat. She could run from her feelings, or she could drown her sorrows with alcohol. She decided to do both, but wine wasn’t really her thing. It was more Anne’s thing. If she was here, she’d probably have at least a glass a day. But she wasn’t. She hadn’t been here for two years now.

Alex rode hard for Jarlaheim, where the bars were said to be relatively safe. There was a lower risk of being hit on, but there was still the high chance of bar fights. She needed that, the release she’d get from fighting. And being inebriated would only make things easier.

As she parked her horse, Alex thought she recognised a skewbald horse parked outside the bar but she took no notice of it. It was probably just a coincidence.

“Give me something strong,” said Alex to the bartender, sliding some Jorvik shillings across the bar towards him.

“Alright,” said the bartender. “Do you have ID?”

“I’m flattered,” said Alex, but she showed her ID as he’d requested.

“You don’t drive?” he asked, handing it back to her and filling a glass with something alcoholic.

“Why drive when you can ride?” asked Alex. She liked fixing cars well enough, but Tin Can was better than any car. The thought of him sent another spike of pain through her chest, and Alex drained the glass as soon as it was set in front of her.

“Thirsty?” asked the bartender, already refilling the glass. 

“More like wanting to forget,” said Alex. “I’ve got a lot on my plate.”

“Hey, I know where I recognise you from now,” said the bartender. He set the glass down but Alex didn’t immediately take it this time, suddenly worried that he wasn’t friendly. “You’re the mechanic, right? Lots of stuff’s been breaking around here lately.”

Alex was so relieved that she began to laugh. And then she thought of just how wrong he was and laughed even harder. She was glad now that she hadn’t been drinking when he’d said it.

“You could say that,” she said, still giggling. She finished her second glass, and it went down easier than the first. Her cheeks were flushed already, and she wasn’t a lightweight. She knew that from experience. That had been a fun outing with her friends. She swallowed her tears along with her third glass of alcohol.

“It is a little strong,” said the bartender, mistaking the tears on her cheeks for something else.

“Good,” said Alex. She wiped the tears away with trembling hands. And then she heard a commotion from further down the bar.

“I said back off,” said a girl, stepping away from a guy who was ogling her legs.

“And here I thought we were having a nice conversation,” said the guy, moving his face towards her’s.

“We were until you started getting the wrong signals,” said the girl. Alex could see her shaking, even from here.

“Time to be a hero,” said Alex. She drained her (Fourth? Fifth?) current glass and stood from her seat, wobbling slightly as she did so. Maybe she had drunk a little too much. But at least she had a distraction now.

“What, dontcha like me or something?” asked the guy, moving to put an arm around the girl.

“Hey, she said back off!” Alex grabbed the back of the man’s shirt and spun him around to face her.

“What, are you her girlfriend or something?” asked the guy. He sighed. “Typical. All the hot girls are dykes.” 

Alex punched him and heard something crunch. Probably his nose. She shook out her hand, which didn’t hurt at all, while he cupped his hands over his nose. Yep, definitely his nose.

“Don’t say that word,” said Alex through grit teeth, her eyes blazing with fury. “EVER.”

“And what are you going to do about it, huh?” asked the guy. Alex wished that she could show him just what she could do about it, but she couldn’t use her magic without Tin Can. And besides, she wasn’t supposed to show normal people her powers.

So Alex resorted to her old tools and punched him in the throat.

“I think it’s time for you to leave,” said the bartender before she could get another hit in. He firmly grabbed Alex’s arm and showed her to the door, pushing her out into the smoky alley.

Alex screamed in frustration and kicked the wall, remembering at the last moment to not punch a brick wall.

“Dammit,” she hissed. She still wanted, no, _needed_ to hit something. Or someone. But there was nothing safe to hit out here.

The door of the bar opened and Alex looked up, hoping that it was the guy coming back for a second serving. But the person silhouetted against the light was female. And it was only then that Alex placed where she’d seen the horse before.

“Ah shit,” she said, looking at the cobblestones. “This is a great first impression to make on a new friend.”

“Not as bad as mine,” said Louisa. She closed the door behind her. “Needing to be saved like a typical damsel in distress.”

“So why were you here?” asked Alex. “I was just drowning my sorrows like a typical hero. Brooding over bad shit that’s happened to me. Getting into bar fights because I can’t go fight the real villains.”

“I was trying to pick up girls,” said Louisa. Alex could tell by her voice that she was blushing, and she smiled.

“Yeah, you were there for a normal reason,” said Alex. “But I’ve been releg- given the role of the brooding hero who’s lost the rest of their party and has to fight the bad guy to save their love interest.” She leaned against the wall of the building opposite the bar, grateful for its support.

“How?” asked Louisa. “And what is your massive quest? I like fantasy stories. Who’s your princess? How long have you been travelling?”

“I can’t tell you,” said Alex. “Sorry, kiddo, you have to be friendship level 14 to learn my tragic backstory.” She smiled again, even though she knew she was on the verge of tears. “But let’s just say that it’s a long story.”

“Okay,” said Louisa. “Should I take you back to the manor? Are you even staying there?”

“The manor has wine,” said Alex. “I’m not done drowning my sorrows yet. My demons know how to swim. Hell, they are in the water. Oopsie, you weren’t supposed to know that. Ah, fuck. I’m completely messing up.”

Louisa chuckled and helped Alex climb into her horse’s saddle. Alex managed to sit there properly, although she swayed slightly in the saddle.

“The manor is so far away from here,” said Alex. “I wish there was a trailer that went from the Harvest Counties to the mainland.”

“Same,” said Louisa. “But we’ll just have to wait for the ferry.”

While they waited for the ferry, Louisa raised a question that she’d clearly been mulling over for some time.

“When you hit that guy because he used that word, was it for… personal reasons?” asked Louisa.

“If you’re asking if I’m gay, then the answer is yes,” said Alex. “You?”

“Yes,” said Louisa. “Finally someone else here who is.”

“Well that’s one thing we’ve got in common,” said Alex. “We can check out girls together. Only I feel bad doing that because I’m already in a relationship.” With a girl who was currently trapped in another dimension.

“Yeah, like a sisterhood of girl-lovers,” said Louisa, and giggled.

“And it will make us the best of friends,” said Alex, extending an arm in a grand gesture and nearly toppling out of her saddle for her troubles. Louisa steadied her, giggling along with her.

Alex’s good cheer drained out of her on the ferry trip to Fort Pinta. Thinking about that place made her think about someone else who she’d once almost lost, and someone who she’d actually lost many years ago.

“Let’s race back to the manor,” said Alex after crossing the narrow bridge. “I know where the fences are, I can jump them.”

“But you’re drunk,” said Louisa. “Aren’t there, I don’t know, laws against riding when drunk?”

“Probably,” said Alex. “But I don’t care. Let’s go.” She used her heels to make her horse speed up, but Louisa easily raced alongside her and then pulled up in front of her.

“No,” said Louisa. “You saved me, now it’s my turn to save you. You’re a very fast rider, Alex, and a good one, but I don’t think that you’ll be able to control your horse well when you can’t even control your basic motor functions well.”

“What?” asked Alex, genuinely confused. She hadn’t heard any of that clearly.

“Exactly,” said Louisa. “Now, let’s just ride. At most cantering. You can race me tomorrow if you’re in any shape to do it.”

“Yeah, whatever, Linda,” said Alex, but slowed down as her friend had asked her to.

“Who’s Linda?” asked Louisa.

“Oops,” said Alex. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else. Linda was a member of my travelling band of heroes. She’s missing.”

“Is she your princess?” asked Louisa.

“No,” said Alex. They were passing Silverglade Village now, so she gestured towards it. “You’ve seen that pretty blue-eyed girl in the window at the Fashion Barn?”

“Yeah,” said Louisa.

“That’s her.” It hurt to think about her, but Alex tried to push past it. The alcohol helped, or it loosened her tongue anyway. “She’s been missing for two years now. I’m convinced that she’s trapped somewhere, but I can’t get there. Not alone, anyway. And the only people who could get me there are also trapped. But I miss her so much and I love her and- and…” She cut herself off before she could say anything more. At least she was too busy crying to speak.

“You’ll find her eventually,” said Louisa. “Is there any way that I can help?” She rode close to Alex and put a hand on her back.

“Yes,” said Alex, finally able to speak with this new hope. “Actually, there is. I’ll let you know when the time is right. Which is cryptic, but magic is cryptic like that. And I wasn’t supposed to mention that. Fuck.”

“I kind of figured out that it was magic,” said Louisa. “Don’t worry, you didn’t reveal anything too important. Magic is the only way to explain half the weird things that happen around here. And there are rune stones. Those are kind of hard to miss.”

“That’s what I told the druids but they’re all ‘nooo, you musn’t tell the outsiders, they won’t understand’,” said Alex, once more waving her hands about but this time remaining steady in her saddle.

Louisa laughed at her actions, and Alex smiled. At least one person was happy here.

Finally, the manor came into sight and Alex parked her horse in the stable. Louisa did the same before helping her up the stairs and into the manor.

“Godfrey, bring wine,” Alex called to the butler as they passed him.

“At once, Miss Alex,” said the butler. “Shall I also bring two glasses?”

“I don’t drink,” said Louisa. 

“Just bring the bottle. Or bottles,” said Alex.

“Would you also like the key to the cellar?” asked Godfrey with a smile and roll of his eyes.

“If you’re offering,” said Alex. “Bring it to my room.”

As they walked away, Louisa realised what it looked like.

“You realise that this looks like you’re bringing me back to your room to sleep with me?” asked Louisa, blushing.

“Who says I’m not?” asked Alex, and winked at her. “But seriously, I’m not going to. Anne wouldn’t blame me but I’m not going to.”

“You’re waiting for her to get back,” said Louisa. “That’s fine. It’s sweet, really.”

“Yeah,” said Alex. “And if I even try to be intimate, all I can think of is her and how she’s not here anymore.” They’d reached a bedroom, and Alex opened the door and walked in.

Louisa looked around at the plush furnishings, marvelling at what Alex was granted as a guest of the manor. The dark green carpet was soft underfoot, and the walls were painted a pale brown and decorated with paintings of what were surely mythological figures. One of them, the one holding swords, looked like Athena.

“Ignore the mess,” said Alex, shoving a mess of magazines off the coffee table in the little sitting area of her room. One of them somehow landed open, as though it was used to being opened on that page. There was Anne again, this time sitting proudly atop a magnificent grey stallion. Alex quickly picked it up and held it against her chest.

“That’s really cute,” said Louisa. “You collect fashion magazines if she’s in them.”

“She was a model for about a year after high school,” said Alex. “And then she just modelled for me.” She smiled, but her happiness didn’t last. All she could think of was the fact that she hadn’t received personal photographs of her favourite model for two years now.

“How can I help you?” asked Louisa. “You barely smile, but you look nice when you do.”

“Thanks,” said Alex. She put the magazine on the table and sat on the couch, inviting Louisa to sit with her. “I don’t know how you can help me, though. I can work out my frustrations in fighting but that’s dangerous. I just want to forget for a while who I am and everything that’s worrying me. Not using illegal means, although some herbs from the druids do promise that, just… alcohol I guess.”

“So I can help you by getting drunk,” said Louisa. “Or helping you get drunk.”

“Yes,” said Alex. “Supply me with alcohol and help me recover afterwards. Think you’re up to that?”

“I am,” said Louisa. “And I promise not to take advantage of you when you’re drunk.”

“You’d better not,” said Alex. “Anne would kill you.” She managed to hold back her tears until after Godfrey had delivered the wine and then departed.

Throughout the night, Alex cried and ranted and drank and cried while drinking. Louisa helped her to the bathroom and held her hair back when she was sick, not even commenting on how long Alex’s hair was without her hat hiding half of it. And then she pulled Alex over to the bed.

“You need rest,” said Louisa. “Come on, you can’t fight the forces of evil with no sleep.”

“Is that your way of luring me to bed?” asked Alex. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

“No,” said Louisa. “Alex, it’s really late. You need to sleep.”

“No, what I need to do is kill that stupid giant squid at the bottom of the ocean,” said Alex. She flexed her fingers and closed her eyes, but nothing happened. Louisa used her momentary distraction to push Alex onto the bed.

“Yes, I know, you’ve mentioned that about a thousand times now,” said Louisa. “Now, you’re in bed. Sleep.”

“Can’t sleep without a teddy bear,” said Alex. She grabbed Louisa’s hand and somehow managed to haul her onto the bed before wrapping her arms around her. “Better.”

Louisa sighed but closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. She’d gone out intending to find a girl to sleep with, but this wasn’t what she’d expected.


End file.
